Week 5 Story: Tragedy at Sea
A Tragedy at Sea
It was around my sixth month at sea that I began this new leg of my troublesome expedition. There was a week of storms, with our ship in a constant state of being beaten and ravaged by the swells. None of my crew made it through that week without becoming terribly ill, even though we were a band of ocean-hardened merchants. However, by the end of that week, the least of the men's worries were that of seasickness. On the seventh night, right after we had finished supper below the deck, I heard an excruciating crack. It seemed like thunder surrounded us as a lightning bolt struck the stern of the ship. Unfortunately, the reality was much worse. I immediately began to feel my whole body shiver as the ship twisted around me. Four of the five crewmembers in the galley were dispatched to the bow to investigate the damage, as surely this snap was a sign of the boat's hull splintering. Darius, my first mate, ran up the galley stairs to disengage the rudder and try to manually steer us head-on into the chop. Something must have failed in his attempt because as soon as I felt the ship knocking free, the whole galley began to turn violently. Looking back, I would guess that Darius was unable to hold the bow against the waves and we turned ninety degrees with a swell. As any seasoned seaman would know, having either side of a vessel facing the rise of a wave means that a roll is inevitable. That feeling that told me we were turning hard into the top of a swell is the last thing I remember from that tumultuous week. That seventh night marked the last time I would see any of my crew and the beginning of a much different journey.Author's Note:
This story is inspired by the series of Sindbad's Voyages. He is a merchant at sea who faces a number of perils, beginning with his abrupt exit from the ship into the water. Each of his trials ends in a somewhat comfortable position; often times Sindbad is left in a better situation than when he started. I wanted to write a series of pieces that explore this theme of a shipwreck-turned-beneficial, starting with a description filled recollection of an accident at sea.
From:
"The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor," from Lang's The Arabian Nights. Link.
Image Credit: The Tragedy of the Seas (1841). Link.
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Hi Carl,
ReplyDeleteWow. I loved your story. It was a very intense and suspenseful read. I loved your sentence structure. For example, “There was a week of storms, with our ship in a constant state of being beaten and ravaged by the swells.” This sentence was filled with descriptive adjectives that helped you picture the scene that was taking place.
Hey there Carl!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very intriguing story. This story really worked at keeping the reader reading, and fully enthralled in the story. The image at the beginning of the story was very good. I thought it did a great job at getting the reader ready for the story. I look forward to reading some of your future stories.
Hey Carl,
ReplyDeleteThat was a great story! I had never heard of Sinbad, so it was a cool introduction for me. I don't think I quite understood Sinbad's story. He ends up being better off after bad things happen to him? I think I got the idea, but not quite sure. Anyway, it was a great story! Keep it up!
Brady